CHILDREN from St Margaret's Preparatory School, Calne, hit all the right notes when they were voted Wiltshire Choir of the Year on Saturday.

They beat off stiff opposition from four other finalists in the competition organised by Devizes Eisteddfod at St John's Church, Devizes.

A packed audience saw choirs from St Margaret's, Devizes School, St Laurence School, Bradford on Avon, Leaden Hall School from Salisbury, and Downton Primary School sing their hearts out.

A total of 12 choirs originally competed in the event's preliminary round on April 26 when five choirs were selected to go through to the final. The seven other choirs taking part were: Charter School, Chippenham, Dilton Marsh School, Holy Trinity School, Great Cheverell, The Mead School, Trowbridge, Ogbourne School, Bishops Cannings School and Alderbury & West Grinstead School.

A panel of three choral experts, all adjudicators with the British and International Federation of Festivals, judged the event. Chairman David Bruce-Payne, Sarah Jefferies and Valerie Hoppé were highly impressed with the overall standard of the singing and all commented on the improvement in the standard between the preliminary round and the final.

Some 350 young people took part in the event including 170 in the final.

Wiltshire Choir of the Year and Young Musician of Wiltshire are the Eisteddfod’s two outreach events each held biennially in May. Wiltshire Choir of the Year followed the successful promotion of the Wiltshire Young Choir Competition held in 2014 which was won by Christ Church School, Bradford on Avon.